Frigidaire FFTR2021TS Top-Freezer Refrigerator Review

This affordable fridge is also energy-efficient

If you’re looking to replace your current fridge at an affordable price, or are in need of a second fridge for your home, the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS(available at AppliancesConnection for $803.10) is a solid option. Not only does it offer slightly more storage space than the average top-freezer, but it also does a reasonable job maintaining humidity, and it's relatively energy-efficient to boot—which is more than we’d expect form a fridge in this price range. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS necessarily rises above some of the common pitfalls of inexpensive fridges. Namely, it has some difficulty maintaining lower temperatures in its freezer and runs a bit warm on the suggested settings. If you’re in the market for a good, inexpensive fridge, we’d also recommend checking out the Insignia NS-RTM18WH7 or Whirlpool WRT318FZDB, both of which perform about as well and are in the same price range.

Sometimes you just need a basic fridge. Why spend money on all the latest bells and whistles if you’re not going to use them? As long as you know to manually turn the temperature down a bit to account for this Frigidaire's tendency to run warm, you should be happy with its performance.

About the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS top-freezer refrigerator

Credit: Reviewed / Kyle Hamilton

The interior of the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS is fairly basic in terms of storage options, but it does have slightly more usable storage space than the average top-freezer fridge.

What we like

It's energy-efficient for its overall capacity

Once we’ve measured the usable storage capacity of a fridge and calculated its yearly energy costs, we can determine how efficient the fridge is at cooling the space it has. In terms of the kilowatt hours needed to cool a cubic foot of space, the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS is actually more energy-efficient than the average refrigerator, using about 40% less energy to keep itself cool. (And it has slightly more storage space in both its fridge and freezer compartments than the average top-freezer fridge.)

This is a boon if you’re looking to reduce your overall carbon footprint, but won’t necessarily equate to big annual savings on your electricity bill—you’ll spend about $15 less than the average fridge owner.

What we don’t like

It runs a little warm, even after calibration

Credit: Reviewed / Kyle Hamilton

The Frigidaire FFTR2021TS's temperature controls (fridge on the left, freezer on the right). Knobs and sliders aren't the most precise calibration tools, but we suggest setting them slightly colder than the recommended setting.

The first thing we do when we get in a fridge is to make sure its calibrated to the manufacturer-specified settings. We then set up temperature sensors all around the fridge, to make sure it’s an even 37°F throughout.

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Unfortunately, the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS tends to run a little warm. On average, we found the fridge measured 38.63°F, which is slightly warmer than the ideal 37°F. The reason this is a problem is that the bottom of the fridge—the spot furthest from the compressor, or the source of cold air—can reach temperatures over 41°F.

According to the FDA, bacteria that causes foodborne illness grows more quickly at temperatures above 40°F. So while the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS only tiptoes over that line, keeping food at safe temperatures is a refrigerator’s main job. If you do get the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS, we’d recommend calibrating it to be a bit cooler than the recommended settings, just to make sure everything stays within a safe temperature range.

Freezer runs warm and isn’t consistent

Credit: Reviewed / Kyle Hamilton

While the freezer doesn't keep its temperature as consistent as we'd like, it is bigger than what you'd find in a similar fridge by about 1 cu. ft.

Freezers need to maintain a temperature as close to 0°F as possible. While freezing won’t kill most bacteria, it will slow or stop its growth. Food safety aside, temperature fluctuations in the freezer can also exacerbate freezer burn, which results in dried out food that’s off in both texture and taste.

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The factory settings will only get the freezer down to about 2°F, which is actually quite a bit warmer than the ideal 0°F. Moreover, due to temperature fluctuations from normal use and defrost cycles, the temperature can creep up to peaks over 8°F. To make sure your food isn’t spoiling prematurely, we’d strongly recommend turning down the temp of this freezer.

What owners are saying

Owners typically like their Frigidaire FFTR2021TS, awarding it an average of 4.2 out of 5 stars across major online retailers. They praise its energy efficiency and storage capacity. Several owners have complained that it seems to run slightly louder than expected.

Warranty

Frigidaire offers a one-year warranty for parts and labor. This is a standard warranty and what we’d expect to find on a fridge in this price range. For context, some manufacturers will guarantee certain parts for five, or sometimes 10, years, though that’s typically found on more expensive models.

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Should you buy the Frigidaire FFTR2021TS?

Maybe. The Frigidaire FFTR2021TS is an OK fridge, available at a fairly reasonable price. It’s not bad by any stretch and will likely serve you well if you pick one up.

The thing is, there are better options out there, even at this price point (though prices are always subject to change). For example, the Insignia NS-RTM18WH7, a Best Buy exclusive, has some similar issues, but costs less. The Whirlpool WRT318FZDB has some rock-solid temperatures and is available at a similar price point. We’d recommend checking out our list of the best affordable fridges to see if one of those options might make a better fit.

Checking our work.

We use standardized and scientific testing methods to scrutinize every product and provide you with objectively accurate results. If you’ve found different results in your own research, email us and we’ll compare notes. If it looks substantial, we’ll gladly re-test a product to try and reproduce these results. After all, peer reviews are a critical part of any scientific process.